I've always cared
by shumchele
Summary: "I was scared." She mumbled but he catches it. "Scared of what?" - "Of falling in love with you." / Chadpay.


Chad looks around slightly confused, he couldn't remember which way he'd been, this place was like a maze. All he wanted was to find a room that wasn't already preoccupied or out of bounds. He's sure Ryan would be hitting the roof if he knew people were doing _it_ in the rooms of his house, but then again he was probably too wrapped up in Taylor to even notice.

He decides on the shortest corridor, stopping as he hears a commotion from one of the rooms. He can clearly hear a female voice ' _stop'_ and a male voice ' _you've wanted this for age's baby, why are you trying to play hard to get'._

Without even thinking he takes three large strides towards the door, pushing it open in one hard push.

Troy barely turns to him before he's back, running a hand across the blondes face. Chad feels the anger rise in his stomach and he moves forward just one more step.

"Bolton! What the hell are you doing?" His voice is rough but dangerous.

"Get the fuck out of here, Danforth!" His friend bites back, this time not even looking his way.

Chad's eyes quickly glance at the blonde currently under Troy, she looks completely terrified and Chad feels blind with anger, he's never seen her look so vulnerable before and it scares him.

As his friends hand disappears under the hem of the dress, Chad advances once more.

"Get off her." He warns, grabbing the back of his friends t-shirt and pulling him.

Troy turns slightly and pushes Chad's arm away. "What the fuck has got into you, she's wanted this for ages."

"She said no." Chad barks back at him, once again grabbing his friend and pulling him forcefully away. He knows Troy is about to punch him, so he gets in first, right hooking him in the nose, blood instantly beginning to leak. He's not sure how he's managing to stop himself from actually causing serious damage to the son of a bitch stood in front of him.

"Are you for real, Danforth?" Troy looks at him as if he's the one who's just near enough sexually assaulted a woman.

"Get out of here." He warns this time, placing himself in front of the terrified female. "Your _girlfriend_ is looking for you."

Troy glares one last time, before wiping his hand across his nose and turning to leave. Once the door is shut, Chad turns around instantly dropping to eye level, reaching out carefully to try and calm her.

"Shar..." she cuts him off as she throws herself towards him, arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"Thank you." Is her mumbled reply and he pulls her forward a little more, guiding her to wrap her legs around his waist before he's standing, easily picking her up in the process. He moves them from that room and down the one corridor he knows for a fact contains her room. He easily closes the door behind them, pulling the small lock she had installed over and walks them towards her king size bed, pulling the comforter back with one hand and sitting himself on the bed, her coming down with him. He knows she won't let go anytime soon.

[+]

Chad answers his phone, curious as to why Troy's girlfriend is ringing him.

"You need to come to the hospital."

He's about to ask why, panic rising in him that one of his friends is in a bad way, but Gabriella cuts in.

"Troy's in a bad way. I found him passed out two blocks from home last night and just thought he was drunk, but he wouldn't wake up and then he began being sick, it turns out he was spiked." She gets out.

Chad feels confused now, he's not sure how to feel. Of course it explains why his friend was being an absolute dick to Sharpay yesterday, because he's never seen that side to his friend and he didn't think it was possible for him to hurt a fly, but he's angry for Sharpay because whether Troy was spiked or not, last night was real for Sharpay and when he left at 5am this morning, he can see just how vulnerable she still felt.

"To make things even worse, someone hurt him, he has a broken nose."

Chad knows he shouldn't, but he's so angry that his best friend caused Sharpay to be living a nightmare right now that he can't help himself.

"That would be me." He answers her, the first thing he's said for the whole conversation. He hears her gasp and then he knows he's going to have to explain.

"Why would you do that?" She asks angrily.

"I found him in a room at the Evans household, Sharpay pinned under him begging him to stop." He answered. "Only he didn't, claimed that she'd been begging for it for ages. I wasn't just going to turn my back and pretend I hadn't seen it. He went to punch me, I got there first."

"You're lying."

"Of course you'd say that, Troy's the perfect boyfriend who can't do anything wrong." He rolled his eyes.

"She probably started it." Gabriella spat back. "Troy's right, she has been pining after him. She probably set it up to make him look like the bad guy."

Chad let out a growl into the phone, anger seeping through him. "Your perfect little boyfriend was one step away from a prison sentence. She said no, no means no. She asked him to stop and he refused."

Gabriella stays silent for a few moments. "Chad, he's your best friend."

"Exactly, so why would I make this all up? Why would I feel the need to lie for Sharpay?" He asks and he hears the gasp as realisation seeps into the brunette's body.

"He was spiked." She tries to come up with excuses for him, but Chad cuts her off.

"Gab, I don't care. You didn't see her face, she was terrified."

"Chad, what do I do?"

"You don't say anything until Sharpay decides what she wants to do, it's not up to you to spread this around." He answers "I only told you because he's your boyfriend."

"I'm not sure if he still is." She answers and Chad doesn't know what to say back. "Is Sharpay Okay?"

"I'm not sure." Chad replies quietly. "I mean I left at 5 this morning and she still looked so vulnerable. If it wasn't for the fact her Dad was due home, I don't think I would have left her."

"Have you texted her?" Gabriella asks, smiling at how much she can sense Chad is worried for the blonde female.

"No. I don't know what to say."

"That you're there if she needs to talk or get away?" Gabriella suggests. Although Chad and Sharpay have always made a show of _hating_ each other, she's always known it's anything but, she's not blind.

"I guess I can do that." He answers and Gabriella tells him she has to go as a doctor makes his way towards her. As he hangs up, he types the exact text message that Gabriella had told him too, not expecting a reply any time soon.

He was just there at the right place, right time last night. She's made it clear for a while she doesn't like him, even after their brief encounter a month ago at a different party, she's ignored him up until yesterday. Chad can't help but smile a little as he thinks back to that night, before he shakes his head to free him of the thoughts. He's Troy's best friend, of course she isn't going to want to speak to him now.

His phone beeps and he picks it up instantly, opening the message.

 _Den, 20 minutes. X_

He grabs his jacket instantly, a smile on his face. The den that they haven't been too for 5 years, when they stopped being friends. The den they'd managed to make grow up with them, a sofa bed, a radio and pictures surrounding it.

[+]

They're currently lay on the sofa bed, her head is tucked on his shoulder, forehead against his cheek, arm wrapped tightly across his middle. One of his hands is drawing patterns on her arm; the other is slowly running through her hair. They've hardly spoken, but he's fine with that. He knows she's feeling safe and that makes him happy.

"Ryan said Troy was spiked last night." It's quiet as she says it and his hand in her hair stops for a moment, before he moves it again.

"Yeah, he was. Gabi found him passed out two blocks from home, couldn't wake him up." He answers.

She stays quiet for a minute, before she shuffles her head just a little. "Why haven't you gone to visit him?"

"Because I'm angry with him." He replies straight away. "I feel if I see his face, I may do something I'll regret."

She squeezes him gently. "Why do you care so much?"

"I've always cared." He turns to press his lips to her forehead. "You just didn't want to know, ignoring me for the past month made that clear." He doesn't move them away as he speaks, his eyes closing. "You looked so vulnerable last night and it tore me apart. I want to make sure you're okay, even if you don't want anything to do with me tomorrow."

"I was scared." She mumbled but he catches it.

"Scared of what?"

"Of falling in love with you." She answers and she buries her face completely into his shoulder this time. "No one has ever made me feel like you do and when you actually showed interest me, it scared me. I've never had anyone actually show interest in me."

He presses a small kiss to the side of her head. "I was scared too," he admits. "If you don't take chances, you'll never know."

She moves her head so she can face him eye to eye. "What if I fall for you and you don't fall back."

"I'm already falling." He whispers, wanting nothing more than to kiss her, but after last night he doesn't want to push her. He doesn't have to wait long as she presses her lips against his in a kiss. The hand in her hair, keeps her head there light enough for her to be able to move if she wants too.

[+]

"I need to forgive him, don't I?" She asks as they sit on the sofa of her home, watching a film. Taylor and Ryan are out; her Dad is at a business meeting.

Chad frowns because he wants to say no, the look on her face two nights ago is still etched in his mind. Troy deserves something and it isn't forgiveness. Although, Troy had no idea what had happened that night, he doesn't even remember Chad punching him. Chad had told him exactly what had happened over the phone this morning on the 23rd time of Troy trying to get in touch with him.

Troy breaks down on the other side of the phone, trying to get Chad to tell him this was all some sick joke. Chad just tells him it's real, it happened and that he'd really scared Sharpay that night. Troy asks how he's supposed to fix this and Chad tells him he has no idea.

"You need to do what's best for you, not for anyone else." He answers.

"He didn't know what he was doing." She looks up at him. "He sounded really sorry in his voicemail."

Chad just nods because the Sharpay the school knows would never ever forgive him. However the Sharpay that he knows will.

[+]

Troy turns up at her house the next day, Chad stays in the kitchen for support if she needs it.

"Sharp." Sharpay can't help but smile at her childhood nickname from Troy. "I'm so sorry."

She nods a little and accepts the parcel he hands her. She knows what it will be, it's been the same thing every time he's done something wrong for the whole 12 years they've know each other. He knows how to get her to forgive him.

"I mean it. I know it's going to take so much more than a sorry and I understand if you never, ever want to be in the same room as me again, but I had no idea what had happened, Chad had to tell me. I don't remember anything and it scares me. It breaks my heart that I've made you scared of me."

She steps forward slowly, before she reaches out for him and his arms instantly pull her into a hug. Not as tight as normal, not wanting to scare her.

"We'll get through it okay." She answers. "I knew it wasn't you, even though I was terrified of exactly what was happening, I know you can't even hurt a spider." She chuckles slightly at this.

"I'm never touching alcohol again." He vows and she believes him, although she doesn't want him to do that. She just wants him to be more careful of where he leaves his drink. "I need to apologise to Chad too."

Chad walks through from the kitchen on the mention of his name, to Troy's surprise. Although when Troy thinks about it, he shouldn't be all that surprised. He knows the fake facade Chad put up of hating Sharpay was just that, fake. He sees the jealousy every time Sharpay speaks to another male and he mentally rolls his eyes, how did it take him this long to figure it out.

"I'm sorry. I know that won't cut it, but I am."

Chad nods, because he knows he should just forgive his friend, but that haunting image of Sharpay keeps playing in his mind. "If you ever do anything like that again dude, you'll be in a casket."

Troy nods, before he accepts the dude hug Chad pulls him into.

[+]

Troy sticks to his word and stays sober at the next party they have, Chad keeps a close eye on Sharpay for the whole party. Even though they'd admitted to each other they were both falling, they hadn't talked about being open about it. However he wishes they had now, as he sees Zeke heading for her. He watches as her face changes, like she's faking interest in what he has to say, before her eyes catch his over Zeke's shoulder. She smiles at him, before mouthing a save me. He takes this as his invitation, whether she meant it that way or not and walks over to them. He slides around Zeke and presses a hand to the small of Sharpay's back.

"Sorry to but in Zeke, but I'm yet to dance with Shar and she promised me one." He smiles at his friend, before pushing Sharpay lightly to the dance floor that had been made.

Sharpay looks up at him as they begin to dance, her hands resting on his shoulders. "You know everyone's staring at us right now."

"Let them." He answers, arms wrapping around her waist, before he looks back down at her. "If you don't care, then I don't care."

She leans up just slightly and presses her lips against his. "I don't care."

"About time." Sharpay hears the mutter from next to her and turns to see Gabriella, Taylor and Ryan smirking at them. Troy heads back over with their drinks and his own water, handing them out.

"Zeke is seething." Troy puts it out there, arm wrapping around Gabriella's shoulder. Once Gabi has realised Sharpay had forgiven Troy, she begins too, because she knows he had no idea at all what he was doing.

Sharpay rolls her eyes at this, because surely now, 2 years on he would have got the picture.

"I'll give him something to seethe about." Chad mutters, arms wrapping around Sharpay and she can't help but grin, knowing it's his way of showing the male population of this party that she was his and she was fine with that.

Another hour passes and Chad leaves Sharpay with Ryan and Taylor, the three of them dancing to get some air. He knows someone is following him as he props himself against a wall near to the entrance of the house; he doesn't even have to look to know who it is.

"Leave it." He shakes his head before turning it to look at the other male.

"You know I like her."

Chad rolls his eyes at Zeke, "She doesn't belong to you."

"Dude code…"

Chad cuts him off, "Dude, you two haven't dated, it's not like I've done much wrong. You'd think after two years of trying, you'd of got the picture."

Zeke frowns at him, "Where did you two even come from, you hated eachother?"

"I don't think I've ever hated her." He answers. "We… we just kinda happened about a month ago, she refused to talk to me. Let's just say a few days ago, something happened and it's pushed us together again and I'm fine with that, I'm more than fine."

Zeke eyed him for a little bit, before sighing. "Don't mess her around, Danforth."


End file.
